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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
July 3, 2025 | 3:55pm
In this photo taken on August 26, 2022, men watch roosters during a cockfighting match at the San Pedro Coliseum in Laguna province. Shut for two years during the Covid-19 pandemic, traditional cockfighting arenas have reopened across the archipelago nation.
AFP / Jam Sta Rosa
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not play favorites in the investigation into the missing sabungeros or cockfighting enthusiasts, Malacañang said Thursday, July 3.
The case has once again drawn national attention after a key witness surfaced with new details about the abductions. Suspect-turned-whistleblower Julie "Dondon" Patidongan accused businessman Atong Ang of being the mastermind and also alleged that actress Gretchen Barretto was involved.
“Sinuman, anumang katayuan sa buhay, kung sila man ay personalidad na kinikilala, wala pong sisinuhin ang pangulo at ang administrasyon. Kung may dapat na panagutan dapat lamang pong maimbestigahan nang mabuti para mabigyan ng hustisya ang mga pamilya ng sinasabi nating missing sabungeros,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing.
(No matter who, regardless of their status in life, even if they are known personalities, the president and the administration have no favorites. If someone needs to be liable, they should be investigated thoroughly so that justice could be given to the families of the said missing sabungeros.)
Castro said the Department of Justice is still evaluating whether Patidongan should be treated as a state witness.
The veracity of the witness' testimony should still be carefully considered to avoid the possibility of him recanting his statements, Castro said.
Patidongan was a suspect in the case of the missing sabungeros. He was one of the security guards who allegedly assisted in the abductions.
On top of naming Ang and Barretto, Patidongan also claimed that around 100 sabungeros were kidnapped. Their remains, he said, were dumped in Taal Lake.
